Avianca, part of Grupo Abra, has begun operating direct flights from Barranquilla and Cali to Fort Lauderdale, adding two nonstop connections between Colombia and the United States.

The new routes connect Colombia’s Caribbean region and the department of Valle del Cauca with South Florida, one of the most important destinations for Colombian travelers for tourism, business, investment, and family connections.

“With these routes we not only offer direct and convenient options to the United States, but we also give our customers access to a global network of more than 80 destinations in the Americas and Europe.”
— David Alemán, Avianca’s director of sales for Colombia and South America

The flights are operated with Airbus A320-family aircraft configured for 180 passengers per flight. Operating daily, the two routes add more than 5,000 seats per week between Colombia and Fort Lauderdale.

The service began on July 15, 2026, with three of the four flight segments launching that day and the Cali–Fort Lauderdale return service beginning on July 16.

The new schedules are:

All times correspond to local time at each airport.

The routes operate through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and provide passengers with onward access through Avianca’s network of more than 80 destinations across the Americas and Europe.

Avianca said the expansion reflects its continued effort to strengthen international connectivity from Colombia’s regions. The airline currently operates more than 400 weekly flights to and from the United States, connecting 14 cities in Latin America with its broader network.

The carrier has previously expanded and reactivated routes between Colombia and major US destinations including New York, Miami, and Orlando.

Tickets for the new Barranquilla and Cali routes are available through Avianca’s website, mobile application, contact center, physical sales points, and travel agencies across Colombia.

Avianca and Grupo Abra expand regional network

A member of Star Alliance and part of Grupo Abra, Avianca operates a network that includes passenger, loyalty, and cargo businesses.

The airline group includes Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A., Taca International Airlines, Avianca Costa Rica, Avianca Ecuador, Aviateca, Regional Express Américas, Lifemiles, and Avianca Cargo.

With more than a century of operations in Colombia, Avianca operates more than 155 routes and more than 700 daily flights with a fleet of Airbus A320-family aircraft and Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

In 2025, the airline carried nearly 37 million passengers across more than 262,000 flights. Its Lifemiles loyalty program has more than 15 million members, while Avianca Cargo serves more than 350 destinations through cargo flights, passenger aircraft capacity, and interline agreements.

Grupo Abra brings together Avianca and Brazilian airline GOL under a broader Latin American aviation platform. The group also includes strategic investments involving Wamos Air and Sky Airline.

The company said the platform has approximately 30,000 employees and a fleet of more than 300 aircraft serving more than 25 countries and over 145 destinations.

Above image: Barranquilla skyline.

The group has secured agreements for up to seven Airbus A330neo aircraft. These aircraft are intended to support the international expansion strategy for the group’s member airlines, facilitating medium and long-haul operations. The A330neo features a 14% reduction in fuel consumption per seat compared to the A330ceo model and generates an approximate 60% reduction in airport noise pollution, according to manufacturer specifications. This order supplements a previous 2024 order with Airbus (EPA: AIR, OTC: EADSY) for five A350-900 aircraft, which are scheduled for integration into the fleet in the coming years.

In the narrow-body segment, Grupo Abra exercised 50 options for the Airbus A320neo. This action increases the total commitment for the model to 138 units scheduled for delivery through 2032. The narrow-body order book consists of the 138 A320neo aircraft combined with 96 Boeing 737 Max aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery through 2030. The total commitment comprises 234 narrow-body aircraft. Boeing (NYSE: BA) is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

The initial A320neo aircraft from the new commitments, which will feature the Airbus Airspace cabin, is scheduled for delivery to Avianca by the end of 2025. This model will incorporate XL stowage compartments, which offer up to 60% more space than current configurations, and dynamic LED lighting. Additionally, these aircraft are specified to be equipped with three rows of premium seats, arranged in a two-by-side format, which was developed by Recaro specifically for the airline.

Adrian Neuhauser, CEO of Grupo Abra, commented that the announcement confirms the group’s investment alignment with its objective to increase air travel accessibility and to position itself as a competitive air transport group in Latin America. He stated that the incremental A320neo order addresses both replacement and growth requirements for the current narrow-body fleet.

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, executive vice president of sales at Airbus Commercial Aircraft, noted that the selection of the A350, A330neo, and A320neo models reinforced the strategic relationship with Grupo Abra. He highlighted the A350’s performance in long-haul operations and characterized the A330neo as a new-generation complement to the Group’s existing A330 operations.

Headline Photo: Adrian Neuhauser. Avianca CEO. Photo credit: ALN/YouTube.

Clarke’s hire is designed to advance the Group’s 2025 strategic priorities, including executive staffing in fleet management, finance, corporate responsibility, and loyalty programs. His role is focused on commercial oversight, optimizing revenue generation, and customer-centric innovation.

Clarke brings over two decades of international experience in the aviation sector, with a background spanning commercial strategy, customer experience design, network planning, fleet management, and corporate development. His career history includes leadership positions such as CCO of Air France-KLM Group (AF on EPA; AFRAF on OTCPK) and Air France, as well as executive roles at Qantas (QAN on ASX), Air Canada (AC on TSX), and Bluepoint Aviation. Clarke has been recognized for his leadership in complex network and product restructuring initiatives following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his capacity as CCO at Grupo Abra, Clarke is tasked with directing the Group’s commercial strategy. Key responsibilities include overseeing revenue generation, improving operational competitiveness, and enhancing the customer experience. He will be responsible for aligning the commercial operations of Abra’s portfolio airlines, leveraging organizational synergies and economies of scale to drive performance.

Additionally, Clarke will lead the development and implementation of revenue strategies, solidify commercial alliances, and supervise the design of products and services intended to improve passenger satisfaction and loyalty.

Adrian Neuhauser, CEO of Grupo Abra, noted that Clarke’s global experience and strategic perspective are essential components for the Group’s long-term objective of delivering a relevant value proposition to customers and stakeholders across Latin America.

Abra Group Chief Commercial Officer Angus Clarke. Photo credit: Abra Group.

Ultra Air’s CEO Founder William Shaw, who also happens to be the co-founder of Viva Air told Colombian business magazine Portfafolio “The concern that we have is with the threat; with what the government just raised on the first day (the merger was announced, of “either you let us merge or we go bankrupt” to create a monopoly that is going to keep 65% of the Colombian market routes, and that can’t be good for the consumer.”

Avianca’s CEO Adrian Neuhauser fired back telling tourism industry journal Reportur that “Accusing Avianca of trying to make a monopoly, I believe is deflecting the discussion from what they are really trying to do, which is the low-cost competitors similar to Viva are trying to take advantage of the opportunity to let Viva die.

In the midst of such back and forth by executives of competing airlines, Viva issued a statement seeking to clear the airspace, without creating further turbulence, saying:

As we have mentioned on previous occasions, airlines in the world are going through complex times due to macroeconomic variables such as the record price of fuel, the devaluation of local currencies against the dollar and very high inflation, factors that affect our operation and represent a risk for the industry in general.

A macroeconomic moment like this presents us with great challenges that we are facing thanks to the benefits of the ‘Super Low Cost’ model, which includes cost efficiencies and flexibility in adjusting routes or company size. Notwithstanding the foregoing, one way of dealing with this complex moment is the possibility of enabling forms of integration and consolidation of alliances that allow for greater financial muscle in favor of the sustainability of the airlines and, therefore, of the sector itself, guaranteeing its long-term sustainability and growth. This is exactly what we are looking for from Viva; integration into Grupo Abra, to ensure the sustainability of Viva in the medium and long term.

Viva continues to receive new Airbus A320neo aircraft and operating normally, though as a privately held company, it is not obligated to issue financial results to the public that would offer insight into its actual financial condition. In recent weeks the airline has adjusted its route network, for example ending flights between San Andrés, Colombia and the coastal cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla. Flights between Orlando and Medellín have been reduced to a seasonal schedule.